Ice-making machine



July 8, 1952 w. RANDELL 2,602,304

I ICE-MAKING MACHINE Filed July 14, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 A TTIBPNEY y 8, 1952 w. RANDELL 2,602,304

ICE-MAKING MACHINE Filed July 14, 1949 2 Sl-iEETS-Sl-IEET 2 49 v 38 4 [T 35 I I fig--29 INVENTOR 34 f1 1/ alt /liar)? Qaflae/l Patented July 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,602,304 p 7 J ICE-MAKING MACHINE William Randell, Chicago, 111. Application July 1'4, 1949, Serial N 0. 104,677

3.Claims. (Cl. 62--105) This invention relates machines and: relates particularly to improvements-in: machines for making iceby a continuous process" in sizes suitable for-beverages.

The makingv of cube ice for: beverage purposes has heretofore entailed the use of water holdingtrays which have been divided into smallcompartments according to the size of the ice cube desired. In some cases the ice has been frozen in such compartments in a process entailing conveying of the tray past" the evaporator. andthenremoving the ice in cube form by distorting the tray and storing the ice in a' compartment for subsequent use.

According to the present invention, the ice is formed by orystalgrowth'on a moving: belt having good heat conductive, properties, one; surface of the belt being in contact. with a: reservoir of water and the opposite-surface being in contactwith an evaporator or other refrigerant circulating means. The: size of the ice crystals formed is governed by the speedof the belt and the capacity of the evaporator. The water in the reservoir is aerated and kept in, motion by small bubbles of air traveling upward through the-water which free the ice'mass'from' a'll traces of'c'loudi'ness; Themovingzbelt thefil conveys the ice cpystals inthe form of a solid',.clear mass ofv ice outof the water reservoir where the mass can be cutintd convenient: sizes and. stored in a: comwhich the ice is put;

Still another obi ect is: to provide amachinei or the formation of: a continuous massof: iceby crystal growth on a, moving conveyorplacedincon tact. with; a reservoir: connected to* av supply of water. and in proximity toan evaporator of a refrigeration system, and to agitate the water contained in the reservoir by means of aplurality of: orificestin the bottom: thereof connected? to a supply ofi air under pressure, the air se suppliedtozt-he, reservoirinsuring. that the: ice mass formed in the conveyor. is clear'and fireef-romicloudinesa Yet another object is to form a mass-ofice by a continuous process, the ice being formed on andconveyed by'a belt in heat exchange relationshipwithi'a supply reservoir of water 'andan: evaporatoron other refrigerantcirculating means.

generally to; ice; making 2 of a refrigeration circuit; and. the ice'ma'ss; so: formed being divided into convenient sizes: by a cutting mechanism and then deposited. in. a storage compartment for subsequent use.

Other objects and important features: of the invention will be apparent from a study of the: following description taken together with the drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the inventionand what is now considered tobe the best mode of applying the principles-there of. While the invention is describedzin: terms of a preferred embodiment; its scope isnot intended: to be limited in'terms of the embodiment shown, nor otherwise than by, the scope of the claims?- subjoined.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation view showing an ice making. machine constructed in. accordance withthe present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectionv taken alongithe line 2-2 in Figure: 1', and" looking. in the direc tion of the arrows; and.

Figure 3 is a section'taken alongthe line 3--3..

of: Figure l looking'in the direction of the arrows 1 and showing'detailsof the water supply reservoir;

the means for sealing'the reservoir'to the ice con- .veyor, and the means for aerating-f the water Within the supply reservoir to produce a. clear mass of ice;

Referring now to the drawings, the improved? of rollers l3 and I4 mounted respectively'on shafts" l5; and H. An endless belt 18 is trained around the rollers [3* and ill and isformed of'mat'erial having the qualities'of good heat conduction and ability to withstand flexure strains, suchasstain less steel, beryllium-copper or thin" phosphor brass or bronze. The roller I3 is connected to the shaft [6 bya key Hand is adapted to be driven by. a motor. 2| mounted on a bracket 22' securedtothestand'ard H. The motor}! is'connected to a speedreducer 23=and drives a pinion 24whi'ch mat'eswitha gear 25:fast' totheshaft lfito drive the roller I31 Means are. provided toxadjust the tension on the endless belt l8: and to preventi slipping: on= the drive roller 1%; and accordingly, the ends: of the shaft H are mounted in movable: journals 2! formed with a threaded adjusting member 28 which-is positi'onedproperly by an adjustingnut eachof 29 abutting a stop 3|= struck out from the Standards 111- and 4 2'.

One side of the endless belt [8 moves inheatz:

exchange relationship with an evaporator or other refrigerant circulating device 32 supported on the standards II and I2 in any convenient manner. The evaporator 32 is connected in a refrigeration circuit comprising a return line 33 to a motor driven compressor 34 which in turn delivers compressed refrigerant to a cooling condenser 36. The condenser 36 is connected by a line 31 through an expansion valve 38 to the inlet side of the evaporator 32.

The evaporator 32 is provided with an insulation jacket 39 which lies between the return run of the belt I8 and which prevents the transfer of heat to the back side of the evaporator 32.1

The belt I8 forms a partition between the evaporator 32 and a reservoir of water 4| held between the belt I8 and a water supply housing 42 supported on a bracket 40 secured at its ends to the supports II and I2 and held against the belt I8 by spring retainers 43 fastened at one end to clips 44 on the housing 42 and at the other end to the supports II or I2.

The housing 42 is made from plastic or resilient material such as rubber and includes an insulating jacket 46. The periphery of the housing 42 is in sealing contact with the moving belt I8 and is provided with double lips 41 and 48, as seen particularly with reference to Figure 3, which bear against the moving belt I8 to provide a seal against the escape of water from the reservoir 4|. The space 45 between the lips 41 and 4B is subjected to a slight amount of air pressure, by means as will be presently described, to provide a pressure overcoming the pressure from the water and thus prevent the leakage of the water past the lips 41 and 4B.

The reservoir 4| is supplied with water by an inlet pipe 49, the level of the water being controlled in any convenient manner by means forming no part of the present invention and therefore not described in detail.

As the belt I8 moves past the reservoir 4| in heat exchange relationship with the evaporator 32, a growth of ice crystals 35 will form on the belt I8 which will increase in size as the belt I8 moves slowly past the reservoir 4|.

Means are provided to give a slight amount of turbulence to the water in the reservoir 4| and to aerate the water therein. This slight turbulence and aeration results in the formation of an ice mass 35 which is free from cloudiness and is crystal clear. To this end, the bottom wall of the housing 42, see Figure 3, is provided with a plurality of orifices which intersect the space or passage 45. The passage 45 is connected to an air inlet pipe 52 which provides air under pressure for the passage 45 and the orifices 5|. The air escaping through the orifices 5| bubbles upward through the water in the reservoir 4| and thereby eliminates any possibility of the ice mass 35 becoming cloud. v

The ice mass 35 is moved by the belt I8 out The ice mass 35 is separated along its width generally at 59.

of the water reservoir 4| as a continuous mass of dimension according to the size of the reservoir, the capacity of the evaporator and the speed of the belt I8. It will be understood, ofcourse, that the mechanism thus far described lies within an ambient at the freezing point so that the ice mass 35 will adhere to the belt f 8.

However, as the belt I3 bgins to turn around the driving roller I3, the belt I8 will separate from the ice mass .35. The ice mass 35 will be conveyed upward as seen in Figures 1 and 2 by the ice mass forming continuously thereunderneath.

The severing mechanism 59 comprises a shearing knife 6I which has a lug 62 extending therefrom which is connected to a movable armature 63 of a solenoid 64. The solenoid 64 is secured by a bracket 66 to the supports II and I2 in any convenient manner. The armature 63 is normally biased to the dotted line position shown in Figure 2 by a spring 61 when the solenoid 64 is deenergized.

The shear knife 6| is provided with a pusher member 68 which is adapted to move with respect to the knife 6| against the bias of a spring 69 encircling a slide rod II supported for movement with respect to a stop I2. One end of the spring 69 abuts the pusher member 68, and the other end abuts the stop I2. It will be seen that as the shear knife advances through the strips of ice, a load will be placed on the spring 65, and that when the load on the spring 69 is great enough to overcome the resistance afforded by the ice strip; that the ice strip will be snapped off.

The solenoid 64 is energized by a timing circuit including a cam I! which is driven from the speed reducer 23. The cam 11 is of such a contour and is so timed with relation to the belt I8 that the solenoid 64 is energized only after a suitable dimension of ice strip extends above the shear knife 6| and for a period sufficient for the shear knife 6| to cut through the ice strip 35. When the cam 11 has rotated to a position to deenergize the solenoid 64, the shear knife BI is returned by the spring 61.

The ice cube so severed then falls down a chute I3 and into a storage compartment I4 which are supported by a bracket I6 to the supports l I According to the speed at which the belt I8 is operated an ice strip of any desired thickness may be formed. Also, accordingto the timing of the cam 1! the length of the-ice fragment may be suitably varied as desired.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that a construction ,has been afforded for making ice by a contin uous process in sizes suitable for beveragepurposes. Depending upon the adjustment of the machine according to the present invention it is possible to form cubes, chips, or elongated pieces of rectangular cross-section as desired according to the need of the user. By the arrangement above described there is no need for first forming the ice in cube trays or the like and then removing them from such cube trays prior to use.

While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, it is not intended to be limited in terms of the embodiment shown nor otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for making ice by a continuous process, an evaporator, a housing providing a reservoir of water, an endless moving belt forming and ant circulating means, and the walls of said reservoir being formed with resilient spaced lipsin sealing contact with said endless belt.

of resilient spaced lips formed along the periph- -ery of said housing, said means including means for subjecting the space between said lips to gaseous pressure.

2. In an ice making machine, means providing circulation of a refrigerant, a reservoir for water in heat exchange relationship with said refrigerant circulating means, an endless belt movable with respect to said reservoir and said refrigerant circulating means, said reservoir being formed with walls in sealing contact with said belt, said endless belt'and the walls of said reservoir forming the sole means of separating the water within said reservoir from said refrigerant circulating means, said endless belt providing a movable wall of said reservoir and a surface for the growth of an ice mass thereon while moving with respect to said reservoir and said refriger- 3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein the space between said resilient lips is subjected to gaseous pressure.

WILLIAM RANDELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

